For All Eternaty
by MissDevon
Summary: Jared's found dead and Natalie's blood is at the scene, but there's no body, but her family has written her off for dead. Can John, Anotnio, and Talia work together on the sly to find and save her or is it too late as she's fallen into a forgotten world.


For All Eterna-ty

Natalie couldn't hold back the scream that left her mouth as Jared and Jessica fought over the gun a few feet away from her. In truth she wasn't sure who she was screaming for. It was clear to her now, as it should've been way before, that Jared had been right. Jess was too soon in forgiving them.

And now the reason was clear, because it wasn't Jessica that they had been dealing with but Tess.

As the shot rang out she couldn't help the "No!" that spilled out of her mouth, but she wasn't sure who it was for.  
Was she screaming for the sister trapped in the recesses of her own mind or for her boyfriend, the man, who with her help, had put her there?

Panting, Natalie moved towards them on heavy legs, stumbling as the jumble of bodies started to move and a laugh sounded. Shaking and moving back, Natalie watched as Tess pushed Jared off of her and bounded to her feet laughing.

"You can't do this, Tess," Natalie pleaded as she continued to try to put space between them. "It won't work. You haven't thought this out. They won't but this as a murder/suicide. The forensics will point to murder," she tried to reason with her sister's alter.

Jess, or rather Tess, just laughed at her as she pushed the hair out of her own face and continued to advance: "Do you think that 'Uncle' Bo, John, or hell, even Antonio will look that closely? The gun was in Jared's hand. Mine was over his. He'll have gun powder all over him. That's all that will matter. That is, if any of them really care that you're dead."

"Tess, please. . . I'm dying anyway. I'll go away. . . just please. . . don't do this to them. . . "

"Yada, yada, yada. I can't hear you," Tess said spinning as she laughed at the red head who slid as she continued to back up, but somehow kept her footing. "We're all dying. And even if you are you don't deserve to die in peace anyway. Not after what you did to Nash."

"But Mom and Dad. . ."

"Don't care about you! Haven't you figured that out yet? G-d how stupid are you! You're nothing to them. Mom didn't even want you back in the house, but because I wanted you there. . . well, Princess Jessica always gets what she wants. Now it's my turn," Tess smirked as she forced Natalie back towards the edge of the cliff.

"Please Tess. . ."

"Too late. I want you to know how Nash felt. Well, not exactly. But I promise this won't kill you, only wound you," she responded as she shot off a round, hitting Natalie in the shoulder.

Screaming in pain, Natalie flew backwards in reaction and fell off the cliff.

Tess moved to the edge of the cliff and knelt down laughing at the woman's tumble down the mountain. "Tess, what have you done?" Jessica's voice sounded in her head. "And why here?"

"Oh, shut the hell up Princess. I'm tired of your interference. Too bad I can't kill you too. If you weren't so stupid my Nash would still be alive. But no. You had to leave him on his own and then couldn't handle the consequences. Well, I can. So go nighty night," she replied as she rose and went to her car.

"The gun. You have to leave the gun in Jared's hand," another voice, one sounding like Nash's, reminded Tess. "You're right sweetie I can't believe I was almost that stupid. . ."

**Chapter 1**

John got up from the hospital chair he was sitting in across from Marty's bed when Antonio walked into the hospital room. The look on the Hispanic man's face worrying him. "What's happened?" John asked.

Antonio looked over to Marty then back to John: "maybe we should take this outside."

"I promised her I wouldn't leave her," John remarked lowly.

"Wouldn't be the first time you broke that promise," Antonio spit out as the door opened and Cole walked in.

Staring at his partner in surprise, John looked towards the teenager: "I need to talk to Antonio. I'll be back," he said as he grabbed his jacket from off the chair he had spent so much of his recent time in.

"But you promised my Mom. . ." Cole started to whine.

"I still have a job to do," John chided softly. "I'll be back. She'll understand," he added as he followed a stewing Antonio into the hall. "You want to tell me what the hell is wrong with you, Vega?"

Antonio looked at John and cursed before spinning around and punching the wall near him. As he shook out his hand John smirked: "glad it was the wall and not my face."

"If I thought it would knock some sense into you, it would've been your face. But even if that would've worked, it's too late," Antonio replied, the bitterness and sadness in his voice clear.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"If it weren't for you she'd be alive. She and Chris would've been happy. Hell, if you had been half the man you were before the accident, you and her could've been the happy ones!"

Swallowing back the bile rising in his throat at the words and shaking off the feeling of dread that was creeping up his spine John took a step towards Antonio: "who would be alive?" he asked.

"Damnit. I shouldn't have said that," Antonio admitted, trying to get a hold of his temper, but seeing John so committed to playing nursemaid to the newly returned Marty hadn't helped his mood.

"Antonio, tell me you're not talking about who I think you're talking about," John ordered in a low voice.

"I can't man."

"No. As bad as Banks is, he wouldn't have done something to her."

"Banks is dead too."

"How?"

Antonio sighed: "looks like a murder/suicide."

"Damnit!" John said as he turned and punched the wall behind him. "I knew the guy was trouble I just never thought he'd hurt her. He was supposed to be the better choice. The safer one!"

"I said it looked like a murder/suicide. I didn't say I was buying it," Antonio told his former partner, who spun around and looked at him in surprise.

"I don't. . ."

Antonio exhaled: "her body's gone. There was a blood trail and then it disappeared. Torn clothing. . . fibers. . ." he shook his head. "She was shot before she went over. I know that much."

"Over what?"

"A cliff on Llantano Mountain."

John shook his head as he started to pace: "why would she be up there with Banks? She only ever went up there with. . ."

"Jessica?" Antonio finished for her. "Yeah. I know. Funny thing. Jessica was at Serenity Springs the day we think it happened. Natalie wasn't with her."

John cocked his head at that: "what does Bo think?"

"Man you think he's thinking?" Antonio asked. "Even with all that was going on between the Buchanans and Natalie he's devastated man. Its like he lost his own daughter up there!"

"Yeah," John sighed looking away. "He's probably taking it harder than Clint."

"That's an understatement."

"Meaning?"

"Clint convinced Nora to go with the preliminary findings."

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah. I know. If it were Jamie. . . Hell man, I would fight for ever shred of proof I could find, not only as to what happened to her, but for where her body was. Bo's too shaken to even do that!"

John shook his head and started to pace the hallway: "how long ago did this happen?"

"Jared's body was found yesterday. Apparently Natalie and Jared were missing for about a week."

"And no one went looking for them?"

"Supposedly they told Jessica they were going to go spend some time on their own. Took a picnic lunch. She said she figured they just went somewhere and were so caught up in each other that they didn't call."

"Damn."

"Yeah."

"Why are you just telling me this now?" John asked after a moment of silence. "Why didn't you call me to come to the scene? Let me know when you found out?"

"Maybe I didn't think you'd care considering the way you're wrapped up with Marty."

"Not care that Natalie was out there somewhere? Hurt? Maybe worse?" he demanded as he took a step towards Antonio, a fist clenched at his side. "Maybe I should be the one punching you to knock sense into your head!"

"Hey. . . Hey. . Knock it off you two," Michael said as he appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, "this is a hospital."

Stepping back, John exhaled while Antonio glared at him: "don't pretend you care now, McBain."

"You weren't exactly there for her either," John got out through gritted teeth.

Michael shook his head at the two men: "I don't even want to know what you're talking about, but Johnny, you need to get it together. We just got Marty's tests back and they're not good. She's really going to need you when we tell her."

"Cole's with her now. I have to go to a scene with Antonio."

"John, you can't just go to a crime scene when the woman you love is in danger of loosing her life," Michael remarked as he put a hand on his older brother's shoulder.

Shaking his brother's hand off John looked from one man to the other: "you're right, Mikey I can't," he replied watching Antonio stiffen and start to stalk off. "So Vega, you driving or am I?" he called after him as he picked up the leather jacket he couldn't remember dropping on the floor and shrugged into it.

"We'll take both cars," Antonio answered as he pivoted slightly to look at the other man. "You're on leave, but I'm on duty in two hours," he added as John fell in step with him.

"Think that will give us enough time?"

"You have as much as you want."

"And the forensics?"

"The tech only passed the class because of her help. He'll do whatever he can on the sly to help us," Antonio informed as he hit the button for the elevator.

"I can't believe they've just written her off like this."

Antonio shut his eyes at the images of from the mountain: "there was a lot of blood," he was forced to admit.

"Anyone else we can ask for help?" John asked ignoring the comment.

"Only one person and I don't know if we can trust her anymore considering who her father is."

"Who's that?"

"Talia."

Stepping out of the elevator and into the parking garage, John stopped: "man, who the hell's her father that you don't trust her anymore?"

"Carlo Hesser," Antonio spit out without looking back.

"This coming from a Santi?" John couldn't help but mutter.

Stopping at his car Antonio spun around: "you really don't want to go there. Not now, because the way I'm feeling I will finally give you the beating you've deserved from me for years."

Stepping back, John put up his hands in defeat: "I'll follow you up the mountain. My car's a couple of lanes down."

"I'll wait."


End file.
